Nutrition and Health

RESOLUTION ŒNO 3/93

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

BASED ON THE PROPOSAL of Commission II, “ Enology ”, taking into account the work of the Group of Experts, “ Nutrition and Health ”,

NOTES:

That wine has been a part of the sociocultural héritage of numerous civilizations for millenia;
That over this long period, the effects of wine on human behavior, on one hand, and on human health, on the other hand, have become better understood and that, in numerous societies, this has given rise to social and religious attitudes as well as to legal constraints with regard to wine consumption;
That wine, a complex beverage resulting from the total or partial fermentation of the must of fresh, ripe grapes, contains, in addition to ethyl alcohol, numerous other components which differentiate it from other alcoholic beverages;
That because of its alcohol content, wine, consumed in an excessive or irresponsible manner, has undesirable effects comparable to those which become evident upon abusive consumption of all alcoholic beverages;
That it has been shown that some population groups and individuals are at risk in consuming any alcoholic beverage'
That, nevertheless, wine a product of culture and conviviality when consumed moderately, seems increasingly, according to recent studies, to have (like other beverages) favorable properties capable, in particular, of decreasing the incidence of certain cardiovascular diseases.

RECOMMENDS:

The development of specific, epidemiological studies directed toward complementing and refining the existing studies;
Encouraging experimental and clinical research on the physiological effects of wine and its constituents;
Complementing the preceding studies with studies in human science in order to deepen the understanding of the consequences of the consumption of wine.

Within the framework of these measures:

Convinced of the need to fight the abuse of alcoholic beverages:

HOPES, that after these studies, there will be an undertaking to reflect on levels of moderate consumption;
ENCOURAGES the Member Countries, actively, to encourage conditions that reinforce the motivation and the capacity of the individual to avoid dangerous practices as concerns alcohol;
SUGGESTS that the campaigns to fight the abuse of alcoholic beverages be concentrated not on général suppression of consumption (prohibition) but on education directed toward making individuals, youth in particular, aware of their responsibilities as much towards themselves as towards society;
ASKS that the Director General of the OIV study, as quickly as possible, the possibility of creating a fourth Commission or some other body on health research and education in order to encourage objective médical and scientific research on the physiological implications of wine consumption, to monitor developments in this area and to disseminate this information, in particular, to the medical profession, governments and consumers.